1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an auxiliary device module with high manufacturability and high yield by connecting electrically an auxiliary device, such as a car-mount type CCD camera, and a base board mounted on the auxiliary device and a case, on which the auxiliary device and the board can be mounted, by means of a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A camera module Y, Z by prior art will be described with reference to FIGS. 19-22. FIG. 19 is a partial expanded view of a wire harness 4 provided with a clamp 10 having an O-ring 11. The O-ring 11 is provided in the clamp 10 to keep a camera case 3 airtight when mounting the clamp 10 on the camera case 3.
The clamp 10 is provided with a thread portion 10a for fixing the clamp securely on a camera case and a hexagon head portion 10b to be used when the clamp 10 is fixed on a camera case by thread fastening and a flange 10c to generate fastening force between the clamp 10 and the camera case 3 and perform keeping the O-ring 11 airtight.
The clamp 10 is provided inside thereof with a through hole 10d to run electric wires or the like, such as cables 4a, 4a′, through. As shown in FIG. 19, electric wires of cables 4a, 4a′ including a drain wire 4a′ run through the through hole 10d of the clamp 10 having the O-ring 11. Terminals 5p are mounted on the end of respective cable 4a, 4a′. 
After putting the cables 4a, 4a′ through the through hole 10d of the clamp 10, potting process 12 is done. Describing potting process 12 simply, it is sealing by pouring soft rubber or soft resin such as epoxy polymer in required portion.
Sealing for each cable 4a, 4a′ can be done completely by potting process 12. Then, penetrating of water or dust into inside of a camera case or camera is prevented. Sealing test on a potting processed portion can be done by leakage test on water or air.
FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 are perspective views, showing assembling process of camera modules Y, Z with a car-mount type CCD camera by prior art. A camera module Y with a car-mount type CCD camera by prior art will be described simply here. The camera module Y includes a camera 1 such as a car-mount type CCD camera and a base board 2 mounted with the camera 1. A camera module Z is provided with a camera module Y having a camera 1 and a base board 2, a camera case 3 mounted with the camera module Y and a wire harness 4 formed with bound various cables 4a, 4a′.
FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 show assembling process of a car-mount type CCD camera by prior art. FIG. 21 is a perspective view, showing wrong condition when mounting the camera module Y with the camera 1 and the base board 2 on the camera case 3. FIG. 22 is a conceptual drawing, showing a sectional view taken along the line R—R of FIG. 20, 21 and connection of the wire harness 4, specifically showing a condition of mounting the wire harness 4 on the camera case 3 through the clamp 10 by partially expanded view.
Each part of the camera module Z by prior art shown in FIGS. 20-22 is described in detail. The camera 1 is provided with a lens 1c and a lens area portion id to hold the lens 1c. The base board 2 mounted with the camera 1 includes mainly a base board body 2′ provided with electric elements such as connectors for electrical connecting. The base board body 2′ is provided with a connector housing 2c as a connector related element. The base board body 2′ is also provided at four locations near four corners thereof with screw through holes 2b for fixing the base board 2 on the camera case 3 by fastenings such as screws 13b. 
The camera case 3 is formed with a bottom wall 3c and side walls 3d, 3d′ standing around the bottom wall to provide a receiving section 3e. The side wall 3d′ is provided with a cylindrical projection 3g for fixing the clamp 10 and sealing the camera case 3. The camera case 3 is provided on four corners in an inside of the receiving section 3e with screw fixing bodies 3a for fixing the base board 2 mounted with the camera 1 thereon. Each screw fixing body 3a has a tapped hole 3b. 
Joint structure of the clamp 10 and the camera case 3 shown in FIG. 20, 21 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 22. The camera case 3 is provided on the side wall 3d′ with a through hole 3f for putting the wire harness 4 formed by bound cables 4a, 4a′ through. The through hole 3f is formed inside wall thereof with internal tread portion to combine with the thread portion 10a of the clamp 10 for fastening.
The clamp 10 with led cables 4a, 4a′ shown in FIG. 19 through is mounted in the through hole 3f formed on the side wall 3d′ of the camera case 3. Combining the thread portion 10a of the clamp 10 and the through hole 3f, formed with thread, of the camera case 3, the clamp 10 with led wire harness 4 shown in FIG. 24 through is fixed on the camera case 3.
The camera case 3 is provided around the through hole 3f with the cylindrical projection 3g for guiding the clamp 10 with the O-ring 11, mentioned above, into the through hole 3f. The cylindrical projection 3g performs shield plate to keep hermetic sealing by the O-ring mounted on the clamp 10 and to prevent penetrating of water or dust from outside.
The wire harness 4, as shown in FIG. 22, connects the camera case 3 and a non-waterproof connector 5r mounted in an inside-of-car V. The drain wire 4a′ branched at a middle portion of the wire harness 4 is provided at the end with a terminal 5s and the terminal 5s is mounted on a frame of a car body B by means of a screw 13c. Thus, the drain wire 4a′ performs earth ground.
Inserting a connector housing 5q joined with the cables 4a, 4a′ into connector housing 2c, as shown in FIGS. 20, 21, builds a connector and connects electrically the cables 4a, 4a′ and the camera 1 such as a car-mount type CCD camera. Thus, the base board 2 with the camera 1, the wire harness 4, the non-waterproof connector 5r mounted in the inside-of-car V, the drain wire 4a′ and the like are respectively connected electrically.
An example of assembling process for a car-mount type CCD camera by prior art will be described in detail as follows. The clamp 10 with the O-ring 11 is mounted on the wire harness 4, shown in FIG. 19. After inserting the wire harness 4 formed by bound cables 4a, 4a′ through the through hole 10d of the clamp 10, the wire harness 4 and the clamps 10 are temporally fixed.
On a portion of the wire harness 4 from the clamp 10 inward the camera case 3, a tube 4d for binding and protecting cables 4a, 4a′ is cleaved by a cutter or the like for pulling the cables 4a, 4a′ out from the tube 4d. The terminals 5p are joined with the end of respective cables 4a, 4a′ and the terminals 5p are received in the connector housing 5q, shown in FIG. 20, to build up connector related elements.
To improve sealing performance of such wire harness 4 and the clamp 10, potting process 12 by pouring resign or rubber into the through hole 10d of the clamp 10 is done and the both of the wire harness and the clamp is fixed, as shown in FIG. 19. The potting process shown in FIGS. 19 and 22 enhances airtight performance of the camera case 3.
Assembling operation of the electric wire 4 and related elements as mentioned above can be called as “assembling of the wire harness 4 and a connector” or more simply “connector assembling”. The clamp 10 is fixed at a suitable position of the wire harness 4 for allowing the cables 4a, 4a′ to have an extra length to connect the camera case 3 with the base board 2, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.
The clamp 10, inserting the cables 4a, 4a′ therein, mentioned above, is mounted into the through hole 3f of the camera case 3, as shown in FIG. 22. Thereafter, combining the thread portion 10a of the clamp 10 including the O-ring 11 with the through hole 3f (treaded hole) of the camera case 3, the clamp 10 is fixed on the camera case 3 as shown in FIG. 20-22. The O-ring 11 and potting process 12 give airtight and sealing performance of the camera case 3, as shown in FIG. 22.
After above operation, the camera module Y which is the base board 2 mounted with the camera 1 is set in the camera case 3. The operation process, as shown in FIG. 20, 21, is connecting the connector elements, including the connector housing 5q provided in the wire harness 4, with the connector elements including the connector housing 2c mounted on the base board body 2′.
After connecting connectors or the like mentioned above, the camera module Y is mounted on the camera case 3. Regarding mounting process, the camera module Y provided with the camera 1 and the base board 2 is mounted on the camera case 3 to place the screw through hole 2b provided in the base board 2 correspondingly to the tapped hole 3b provided on the four corners of the camera case 3.
Inserting the screws 13b into each the screw through hole 2b provided in the base board body 2′, the screws are turned by a screw fastening means. Then, the screws 13b go into the tapped holes 3b provided on the camera case 3. Thus, the camera module Y is fixed on the camera case 3 and then the camera module Z is assembled.
When looking related arts, J.U.M. Application Laid-open H7-42075 exists. J.U.M. H7-42075 describes a connector connecting system and discloses a wire alignment and hold mechanism to align automatically respective pair wire without changing coupled order on a connector connecting system to connect automatically respective conductive core wire of a plurality of pair wires into a temporally fixing connector cover.
However, according to a camera module Y by prior art, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, operation for connecting the camera module Y and a connector joined with the end of the cable 4a is done manually and then complicated work is required to operators. Furthermore, operations of placing the cables 4a, 4a′ in the receiving section 3e of the camera case 3 and fixing them by the clamp 10 and connecting connectors are poor efficient work.
Describing an actual case, the camera case 3 by prior art is provided with the through hole 3f for inserting the cables 4a, 4a′ therein and the cables 4a, 4a′ with a connector is put through the through hole 3f and the connector is connected with a connector mounted on the base board 2. Such operation is very complicated for operators.
The camera case 3 by prior art is provided with the through hole 3f for inserting the cables 4a, 4a′ and the through hole 3f is threaded. Keeping sealing performance of the through hole 3f, operation of screwing the clamp 10 into the thread portion and fixing the clamp 10 with the wire harness 4 on the camera case 3 is required.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view at a time of bad situation occurred during mounting the camera module Y on the camera case 3. During mounting the camera module Y by prior art on the camera case 3, it is feared that the cables 4a, 4a′ are bitten by the camera module Y and the camera case 3 as shown in FIG. 21.
In addition to above issue of biting the cables 4a, 4a′, even if electrical connection is done with a connector provided with pressure contact terminals, the operation for connecting electrically a pressure contact terminal and corresponded electric wire may be done by watching from oblique direction through a gap between the base board 2 and the camera case 3 or by blind touch. Such operation requires much attentiveness and load for operators and manufacturability is low. Unsecured pressure contact connection is also concerned.